Over the last decade, cloud computing has completely transformed the business world, with more and more companies adopting cloud services and the use of data centers. From hosted services and cloud applications, to electronic messaging or cloud storage, cloud migration for the private and public sector has become a purveyor of innovation. Nowadays, scalable, flexible and intelligent cloud solutions are delivered by several providers. In this article, discover the top business benefits of cloud migration.
How the cloud can help businesses in 2022
Cloud computing is an online “umbrella” management of resources for your business—from servers and storage, to the way you access your data using an internet connection. In addition, it provides an easy-to-access virtual space for a business, creating the flexibility to work anywhere, at any time.
Whether you are looking for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, cloud computing is an option for balancing high-tech and cost-effective services to align strategies and goals.
Benefits of cloud computing migration for business
Improved performance and easy data access. Cloud computing means reliable IT services and maintenance provided around the clock, 365 days a year. The data your company works with will always be in a centralized location, easy to manage and easy to access.
The cloud saves you money. Purchasing and maintaining technical equipment takes time, money and expertise. In the cloud, data storage and security are guaranteed without downtime. Costs for a cloud-based company are streamlined and tailored to its profile. Cloud computing offers lower overall costs than traditionally managed solutions.
Continuity of working procedures and strong security. Natural causes, power outages or any other crisis can jeopardize your company’s business and the security of the data you work with. As a business solution, the cloud keeps your data secure and helps you get back to work quickly—minimizing downtime and supporting team productivity.
Scale your business. Cloud services are dynamic, easily scalable and adaptive to business requirements. A company with a small number of employees has access to the same business tools as a global corporation employing thousands of people, thanks to this flexible scaling.
Disaster recovery. Traditional disaster recovery programs can be costly and complex to set up. Cloud provides cost-effective disaster recovery by allowing businesses to access backup servers if the primary server should fail.
Data consistency and control. With cloud services, every employee can access the same information—thus maintaining consistency in data and avoiding human errors, like saving different versions of documents, for example.
Top global cloud services
The cloud computing market has seen immense growth—enough to become a multi-billion dollar industry in recent years. Gartner forecasts end-user spending on public cloud services to reach $ 482 billion in 2022. Additionally, by 2026, Gartner predicts public cloud spending to exceed 45% of all enterprise IT spending—up from less than 17% in 2021.
“Organizations are advancing their timelines on digital business initiatives and moving rapidly to the cloud in an effort to modernize environments, improve system reliability, support hybrid work models and address other new realities compelled by the pandemic,” said Brandon Medford, senior principal analyst at Gartner.
As consumers increasingly focus on moving to the cloud, several service providers are striving to take the largest share of the market.
Data presented by Finbold shows that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has the largest share of cloud infrastructure service providers, identified as 33%. Microsoft’s Azure platform comes second with a 21% share, followed by Google Cloud with 10%. Remarkably, despite Google and Microsoft emerging as major players in the cloud computing space, their combined market share is still below that of AWS. On the other hand, Alibaba Cloud has a 6% market share and is the top provider outside North America. IBM closes out the top five with a 4% share.
While most of the top service providers offer similar products, some have relied on unique fundamental factors to rise to the top. In this case, top providers like AWS have implemented various tactics, such as aggressive investments that have expanded their network, while lowering prices to reach more consumers. AWS also has the advantage of offering rapid scaling for whatever solution they contract for their customers. At the same time, Microsoft and Google are offering innovations around machine learning and artificial intelligence. These services are currently superior to AWS.
A spot check of the providers shows that North America is a dominant region—which can be tied to high cloud computing adoption—due to factors like the presence of many enterprises with advanced IT infrastructure, as outlined by Finbold researchers.
If you are still weighing the decision to migrate your company’s business to the cloud, you are already one step behind over 90% of companies. With the support of top cloud services, any company or startup can access an extensive range of essential tools in minutes when taking advantage of AI and machine learning technology. Choosing a cloud service is certainly a beneficial business decision for companies of all sizes.
